Brexit’s Detrimental Impact on the Premier League

By: Bradley Harrah

On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) officially left the European Union (EU) and began a transitionary period, which has left the two sides struggling to finalize details of the new arrangement.[1] One of the main arguments for proponents of the Leave campaign is that Brexit would allow more control over the flow of immigrants to the United Kingdom from the rest of the European Union.[2] Between 1995 and 2015, the number of immigrants from other EU countries living in the UK tripled from 0.9 million to 3.3 million.[3] The move to Brexit ensures that this free movement will end, and the UK has introduced a points-based immigration system that treats EU and non-EU citizens equally.[4] Under this points-based system, anyone coming to the UK for work must meet a specific set of requirements for which they will score points, and visas will be awarded to those who score enough points.[5]

The new immigration system will apply to all industries operating in the UK; this includes the Premier League, the richest league in the world and a pillar of English society.[6] Under the previous EU Freedom of Movement rules, Premier League clubs could easily source the best talent from around the world.[7] This allowed any EU citizen to move and stay in other member countries if they were employed or seeking employment; subsequently allowing players from EU countries to complete transfers to Premier League clubs without applying for a visa.[8] The new points system will expand the current assessment for work permits for non-European players.[9] The assessment takes into consideration the number of international appearances by players, the FIFA ranking of their country, the transfer fee, and salary to establish the need of the club to sign them.[10] In 2016, the BBC established that 332 players in the Premier League, Championship League, and the Scottish Premiership would not satisfy these requirements.[11] The requirement to apply for and obtain a visa to join a Premier League club may also deter top European talent and send them instead to competing leagues elsewhere in Europe.[12]

To further exacerbate the issue of losing top international talent, leaving the EU will make it more difficult for Premier League clubs to recruit European players under the age of eighteen to its academies.[13] Under current FIFA[14] regulations, international transfers of footballers between the ages of sixteen and eighteen are only allowed if they are moving between clubs that are both based in the territory of the EU.[15] Players who came to the UK under this regulation were previously classified as “English” and were allowed to play for the English national team even though they grew up outside of the UK.[16] Thus, not only would Brexit cut into the Premier League’s supply of elite talent, but would also restrict the national team’s ability to compete.[17]       The English Football Association admitted in its strategic report that “[t]his has a potential negative impact on the number of European players entering the English game, which could result in a devaluation of the domestic rights of English competitions.”[18] However, instead of working to alleviate these effects on an organization that provides tremendous benefits to the UK economy,[19] the Football Association instead sees it as “an opportunity for the English players in the Premier League.”[20] Using Brexit as a justification, the Football Association has also called for a cut in the maximum number of non-homegrown players allowed in each team’s twenty-five player squad from seventeen to twelve.[21] Few teams in the Premier League would be unaffected by the many rule changes that are potentially coming as a result of Brexit.[22]

The Premier League has thrived and grown into an arena where some of the best footballers from across the planet showcase their abilities.[23] By limiting the ability of Premier League clubs to freely provide this arena, the English Football Association and the UK government is detrimentally impacting a huge portion of tax revenue, supplier of jobs, and source of entertainment.

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[1] See Peter Barnes, Brexit: What Happens Now?, BBC News (Jul. 13, 2020), https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46393399.

[2] Jonathan Wadsworth et al., Brexit and the Impact of Immigration on the UK 2 (Ctr. For Econ. Performance, Paper No. 105), https://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/brexit05.pdf.

[3] Id.

[4] The UK’s Points-based Immigration System: An Introduction for Employers, Gov.UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-points-based-immigration-system-employer-information/the-uks-points-based-immigration-system-an-introduction-for-employers (last updated Sept. 30, 2020).

[5] Id.

[6] See Daniel Halpert, Brexit’s Threat to English Soccer, Brown Pol. Rev. (May 27, 2020), https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2020/05/brexits-threat-to-english-soccer/.

[7] See Daniel Levitt, How Might Brexit Affect the Premier League?, The Guardian (Feb. 14, 2019, 5:00 EST), https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2019/feb/14/how-might-brexit-affect-premier-league.

[8] Daniel Halpert, supra note 6.

[9] Associated Press, Premier League to Set Points System for Work Permits After Brexit, Sports Illustrated (Apr. 28, 2020), https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/04/28/premier-league-work-permit-point-system-brexit-england.

[10] Id.

[11] Ryan Kelly, How Brexit Will Affect Premier League Football, GOAL, https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/how-brexit-will-affect-premier-league-football/cwp6p3hhmuxx119cm1syhwyi2#how-will-brexit-affect-premier-league-football (last updated Jan. 31, 2020).

[12] Daniel Halpert, supra note 6.

[13] Ryan Kelly, supra note 11.

[14] FIFA is the international governing body of football. FIFA, https://www.fifa.com/ (last visited Oct. 5, 2020).

[15] Ryan Kelly, supra note 11.

[16] Daniel Halpert, supra note 6.

[17] Id.

[18] Associated Press, supra note 9.

[19] “An EY Economic Impact Assessment estimates that the League and our 20 clubs contributed £3.3billion in taxes to the UK economy in Season 2016/17 alone.” Economic Impact, Premier League, https://www.premierleague.com/this-is-pl/the-premier-league/686502 (last visited Oct. 5, 2020).

[20] Associated Press, supra note 9.

[21] Daniel Levitt, supra note 7.

[22] Daniel Levitt, supra note 7.

[23] Ryan Kelly, supra note 11.